Queen takes a green lead with hydro plant

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London: The Queen is to go green after full planning permission
was granted to run Windsor Castle on hydro-electric power.

The $2.3 million, four-turbine plant will be built at Romney
Weir on the River Thames. It will generate enough power to service
a third of Windsor, the largest occupied castle in the world.

Buckingham Palace said the royal household was pleased the
project had been approved. "We're constantly looking at ways of
saving energy," a spokesman for the Queen said. "We use
energy-efficient lightbulbs at Buckingham Palace and recycle 99 per
cent of green waste."

The electricity from the new plant will be fed straight into the
Queen's Berkshire castle and not into the local grid. The plant
will be the biggest of its kind in southern England.

Environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth welcomed the
news. Tony Juniper, director of the pressure group, said: "We're
delighted that the Queen is taking a lead in the use of green
electricity to help tackle global warming. It highlights the
massive potential for small-scale micro-generation systems within
the UK."

The application for the hydro project was submitted to Windsor
and Maidenhead Council last February and embraced by planners.

Windsor Castle is expected to begin using green electricity
before the end of next year.